The Army is in the early stages of beginning to create requirements for a new externally-mounted weapon to replace both the M2 .50-cal machine gun and the Mk19 grenade launcher.

The idea is to simulteneously lighten the load of mobile attack forces while increasing their lethaltiy and envelope of attack with a single system that achieves the offensive firepower, and desired combat effects, of both weapons.

“This will be one weapon with a totally different new type of ammo that is not yet even in the developmental phase,” Laura Battista, Product Management Engineer, told Scout Warrior in an interview.